Throne Verse
The Throne Verse (Arabic: آيَة الْكُرْسِي, ʾāyat al-kursī) is the 255th verse of the 2nd surah of the Quran, Al-Baqarah. The verse speaks about how nothing and nobody is regarded to be comparable to God.[1][2]
This is one of the best-known verses of the Quran and is widely memorised and displayed in the Islamic world. [3] It is often recited to ward off evil spirits.[4]
Text and meaning
Verse Al-Kursi consists of ten permanent sentences.[5]
Text and transliteration
Hafs from Aasim ibn Abi al-Najud
اَللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ
ج
255 Allāhu lā ilāha illā hū
ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ج
Al ḥayyu l-qayyūm
لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ج
Lā ta’khudhuhū sinatun w-walā nawm
لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ قلے
Lahū mā fi s-samāwāti wamā fi l-’arḍ
مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ج
Man dha l-ladhī yashfa‘u ‘indahū ’illā bi’idhnih
يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ صلے
Ya‘lamu mā bayna ’aydīhim wamā khalfahum
وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ج
walā yuḥītūna bishy’in m-min ‘ilmihī ’illā bimā shā’
وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ صلے
Wasi‘a kursiyuhu s-samāwāti wal’arḍ
وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ج
Walā ya’ūduhū ḥifẓuhumā
وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ [6]
Wahuwa l-‘aliyyu l-‘aẓīm
Ayatul Kursi Benefits and Hadith
Ayat al-Kursi is regarded as one of the most powerful ayahs in the Quran because when it is recited, the greatness of God is believed to be confirmed. The person who recites this ayah morning and evening will be under protection of God from the evil of the jinn and the shayatin (demons); this is also known as the daily adkhar. It is used in exorcism, to cure and protect from jinn and shayatin.[7] Because the Throne Verse is believed to grant spiritual or physical protection, it is often recited by Muslims before setting out on a journey and before going to sleep.[3]
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) deputed me to keep Sadaqat (al-Fitr) of Ramadan. A comer came and started taking handfuls of the foodstuff (of the Sadaqa) (stealthily). I took hold of him and said, "By Allah, I will take you to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ." He said, "I am needy and have many dependents, and I am in great need." I released him, and in the morning Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked me, "What did your prisoner do yesterday?" I said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! The person complained of being needy and of having many dependents, so, I pitied him and let him go." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Indeed, he told you a lie and he will be coming again." I believed that he would show up again as Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had told me that he would return. So, I waited for him watchfully. When he (showed up and) started stealing handfuls of foodstuff, I caught hold of him again and said, "I will definitely take you to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). He said, "Leave me, for I am very needy and have many dependents. I promise I will not come back again." I pitied him and let him go. In the morning Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked me, "What did your prisoner do." I replied, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! He complained of his great need and of too many dependents, so I took pity on him and set him free." Allah's Apostle said, "Verily, he told you a lie and he will return." I waited for him attentively for the third time, and when he (came and) started stealing handfuls of the foodstuff, I caught hold of him and said, "I will surely take you to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as it is the third time you promise not to return, yet you break your promise and come." He said, "(Forgive me and) I will teach you some words with which Allah will benefit you." I asked, "What are they?" He replied, "Whenever you go to bed, recite "Ayat-al-Kursi"-- 'Allahu la ilaha illa huwa-l-Haiy-ul Qaiyum' till you finish the whole verse. (If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no satan will come near you till morning. " So, I released him. In the morning, Allah's Apostle asked, "What did your prisoner do yesterday?" I replied, "He claimed that he would teach me some words by which Allah will benefit me, so I let him go." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked, "What are they?" I replied, "He said to me, 'Whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat-al-Kursi from the beginning to the end ---- Allahu la ilaha illa huwa-lHaiy-ul-Qaiyum----.' He further said to me, '(If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no satan will come near you till morning.' (Abu Huraira or another sub-narrator) added that they (the companions) were very keen to do good deeds. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He really spoke the truth, although he is an absolute liar. Do you know whom you were talking to, these three nights, O Abu Huraira?" Abu Huraira said, "No." He said, "It was Satan."
— Sahih al-Bukhari 2311[8][better source needed]
Symmetry of Verses
Ayat al-Kursi displays an internal symmetry comprising concentric looping verses surrounding a pivotal chiasm 'x' of the type A B C D X D' C' B' A'. The reciter imagines him or herself walking through Ayat al-Kursi until reaching the centre, seeing what is in front and what is behind, and finds they represent a perfect reflection of each other. The central chiasm is represented by "yaʿlamu mā bayna ʾaydīhim wa-mā ḫalfahum meaning "He knows what is before them and what is behind them". This is flanked symmetrically outwards so that A corresponds to A', B corresponds to B', and so forth. For example, line 3 "he is the lord of the heavens and the earth" corresponds to line 7 "his throne extends over heavens and earth".
See also
References
- ^ Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1983) [First published 1934]. The Holy Qur'ān: Text, Translation and Commentary. Brentwood, Maryland: Amana Corp. pp. 102–103.
- ^ "Surah Al-Baqarah - 2:255". quran.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ a b Seyyed Hossein Nasr, ed. (2018). The Study Quran. HarperCollins Publishers. p. 110.
- ^ Afzal, Sagheer. (2011). The Reluctant Mullah. London: Halban. ISBN 978-1-905559-27-5. OCLC 782868200.
- ^ Tafsīr ibn Kathīr, al-Baqarah, tafsir verse 255 (Ayatul Kursi)
- ^ Arabic script in Unicode symbol for a Quran verse, U+06DD, page 3, Proposal for additional Unicode characters
- ^ "Quran Tafsir Ibn Kathir - the Virtue of Ayat Al-Kursi".
- ^ "Protection From the Jinn - Islam Question & Answer". islamqa.info. 2 February 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ https://quran.com/2/255